James "Jimmy" Heath

1926 - 2020

About

Jimmy Heath began his musical journey as a teenager, taking lessons and playing alto saxophone in his high school marching band and local groups like the Melody Barons. He toured with the Calvin Todd Band in 1944 and Nat Towles' band from 1945-1946, then formed his own big band in Philadelphia featuring future stars John Coltrane, Benny Golson, and Specs Wright, which became a fixture on the local jazz scene until 1949. Nicknamed 'Little Bird' for his stylistic debt to Charlie Parker, Heath joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1949-1950, switched to tenor saxophone in the early 1950s, and played with ensembles like the Symphony Sid All-Stars alongside Miles Davis and his brother Percy Heath.

Heath's career faced a setback in the late 1950s due to legal troubles related to drug addiction, but after his release from prison in 1959, he rebuilt rapidly, recording his debut album as a leader and collaborating frequently with Milt Jackson and Art Farmer through the 1960s. A prolific composer and arranger, he penned over 125 works, including jazz standards like Gingerbread Boy and C.T.A., recorded by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and others. In 1975, he formed the Heath Brothers with brothers Percy (bass) and Albert 'Tootie' Heath (drums) and pianist Stanley Cowell, earning a Grammy nomination for their 1975 album Live at the Public Theater; the band continued with reunions into the 2000s. Heath also led big bands, released albums like "Little Man Big Band", and composed larger works such as the symphony Three Ears and Afro-American Suite of Evolution.

Recognized as a 2003 NEA Jazz Master, Heath was a dedicated educator at institutions like Jazzmobile, City College of New York, and Queens College until 1998, where a chair was endowed in his name, and received honorary degrees from Juilliard and others. His 2010 autobiography, "I Walked with Giants", won the Jazz Journalists Association's Best Book of the Year. Active into his 90s with recordings like Togetherness (2011), Heath passed away on January 19, 2020, leaving a legacy as a versatile hard bop and bebop stylist, composer, and big band leader who bridged bebop origins with modern jazz.

Related Information

https://www.jazzapedia.com/artists/jimmy-heath

Works by James "Jimmy" Heath